Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Japanese Fall Collections Haul

A dear friend in Japan was kind enough to help me out with another CP that landed speedily on my doorstep this afternoon, thanks to Japan Post's super-efficient EMS service! I haven't tried out any of the items yet but they all looked so pretty, I thought I'd post pics first and then detailed reviews later.

Here's the whole haul, including some items for my buddy, Fleckenschnitte! Do check out her wonderfully informative blog on Korean and Japanese makeup and skincare.

Canmake Color Strip Palette #2 and #3: I'm not usually big fan of Canmake although I loved their Cheek Gradation #4 Chocolate, which I CP'd dozens of pieces for various ladies on Cozycot and MUA. But these new Color Stripe Palettes looked interesting when I saw them on the website, plus they were super cheap at only 924yen each so I added two of them to my CP list. Just looking at the shades in the pan, they look highly wearable with a fair amount of fine shimmer. No chunky glitter, which is good. I especially like the look of #3 which has a lovely plum burgundy and an antique bronze shade that I can't wait to try out.

Awake Moon Illusion Eye Stardom X1 Forest Shadows: I didn't really like the fact that these palettes had two very pale white/off-white shades each, which to me is a bit of a waste as I prefer having a more varied selection of bright or dark colors to play with. The dark liner shade in these palettes are also more matte finish, although the eggplant shade in X1 has some shimmer. The golden white shade in the top left of X1 looks intensely sparkly so that should be interesting to play around with.

Majolica Majorca Majolook Trick On GR750 and BR751: These are for Flecks :-)

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact Illuminance 101 Platinum Illuminance: These are so pretty that I think I'll keep them for awhile just to admire them in their perfect pristine state. I like the new lace inset in the cover. The metal case of the brush also has a more elaborate design imprinted on it compared to the regular Mix Blush Compact brushes.

Mix Blush Compact Illuminance 102 Gold Illuminance

Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes #1 Jewel Dress: I was worried that this was going to be another boring pink palette after seeing some photos online but in person, it turned out to be much prettier than I expected. The three shades from the right side of the palette are noticeably less glittery and sparkly than the Brilliance Eyes palettes but the extreme left shade has an intense shimmer. Unlike most other Jill Stuart palettes, this palette lacks a dark liner shade but the greyish mauve on the extreme right looks lovely nonetheless.

Hi,I'm afraid I can't help as the Mix Blush Compact Illuminance are already sold out at the counters in Japan and also, I don't want to impose on my friend who's already being very generous with her time.

Perhaps you can try online retailers such as ichibankao, kyotobabe or bobodave?